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Educational Survey of 

Burke County 

Georgia 



By 
M. L. DUGGAN, Rural School Agent 

AND 

EURI BELLE BOLTON, 
Extension Dept., G. N. L College 



No. 34 



Under Direction of Stale 

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 



M. L. BRITTAIN 

State Superintendent of Schools 
1921 



Educational Survey of 

Burke County 

Georgia 



M. L. DUGGAN, Rural School Agent 

AND 

EURI BELLE BOLTON, 
Extension Dept., G. N. L College 



No. 34 



Under Direction of State 

a^oio^ DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 



M. L. BRITTAIN 

State Superintendent of Schools 

1921 



l^-^%i 

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MAP 

Showing; proposed comsolidationS of schools 

BURKE COUMTY 









GEORGIA 

O.M CRESH AM, CSS. 








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LIBRARY ^F CONGRESS 

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laHUMHlariUHh. 



BURKE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS. 

HON. 0. M. CxRESHAM, County Superintendent 

Waynesboro, Ga. 



County Board of Education. 

HON. N. L. McNORRILL Girard, Ga. 

HON. G. W. GRAHAM Alexander, Ga. 

HON. J. W. COOK Blythe, Ga. 

HON. W. N. FULCHER Waynesboro, Ga. 

HON. INMAN T. WELLS Midville, Ga 



BURKE COUNTY, GEORGIA 



Burke county, originally St. George's Parish, was settled 
by English, Irish and Scotch pioneers in 1758, and created 
into a county by the State Constitution in 1777. Many 
families still hold titles to their lands under original grants 
from the King of England. Many old land marks remain 
as memorials of significant events of the Revolutionary and 
Civil Wars. The county has an area of 812 square miles, 
and has long enjoyed the distinction of being the leading 
cotton producing county of the State. There are about a 
dozen small towns and villages in the county, of which 
Waynesboro, the county seat, with a population of 3,500, is 
the largest. Away from these community centers, except 
in the Northwestern and Southeastern sections of the 
county, there are very few white people. Many of the large 
plantations are cultivated by tenants, mostly negroes. This 
largely accounts for the fact that cotton is the chief agri- 
cultural product for the soil and climate are favorable to 
production of nearly all farm products, fruits, stock, cattle, 
hogs, etc. From the county site radiates well-graded, hard- 
surfaced public roads in every direction. Both the National 
Highway, from New York to Jacksonville, and the Dixie 
Highway, from Atlanta to Savannah, go directly through 
the county. Four railroads traverse the county, leading 
directly and quickly to good city markets near by. 

FINANCIAL RESOURCES. 

There are in Burke county eleven Banks, reporting de- 
posits around two million dollars. The county tax digests 
of 1920 show property returns (at 35% of its true value) of 
$12,623,450.00. In addition to this. Corporate property sub- 
ject to taxation in the county is returned at $810,124.00, 
making a total of $13,433,574.00. 



EDUCATIONAL LIABILITIES. 

The population of Burke county is 30,863. The school 
population is 10,007, of whom there are 1,639 white and 
8,368 negro children. These statistics indicate the educa- 
tional liabilities of the county. 

EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES. 

There are in Burke county 25 white schools, all operat- 
ing under the "County Unit System;" that is, there are no 
"Independent systems" in the county. This greatly simpli- 
fies the problems of administratioi^. A county- wide local 
school tax was voted in 1909, and reasonably liberal levies 
have been made by the county administration. This has 
enabled the children to enjoy the benefits of a nine-months 
school year, with comparatively liberal salaries to the 
teachers. Thus it is seen that the business administration 
of the public school system has been far above that of most 
Georgia counties. 

The class-room results, as revealed in the educational 
measurements reported elsewhere in this bulletin, were 
generally much below what was to have been expected from 
so good a business administration. There were, however, 
notable exceptions. 

There appears to have been very little close professional 
supervision of the teaching processes in the rural schools 
of the county, and we believe this accounts mainly for the 
unsatisfactory class-room results. A liberal expenditure for 
expert supervision of teaching processes at small isolated 
rural schools would undoubtedly insure better educational 
results, and tend greatly towards equalizing educational op- 
portunities. Strongest teachers placed in weakest schools 
would also help in the same direction. 

RECOMMENDATIONS. 
Looking to the betterment of the public schools of Burke 



county, we respectfully submit the following recommenda- 
tions: 

1. CONSOLIDATION OF SMALL RURAL SCHOOLS, 

or, where this is impracticable, limiting the number of 
grades per teacher to four or five. 

2. Close and constant expert supervision of the teaching 
processes in the lower grades, and reasonable standards of 
thoroughness as conditions for promotions. 

3. Regular meetings of teachers and school officials for 
free discussions of problems and progress in the several 
schools of the county. Such service would be a legitimate 
charge against the public school funds. 

4. Detailed reports of individual progress in the several 
schools should be made a matter of permanent record in 
the county Department of Education. Progress can only 
be judged by comparison. 

5. Such re-arrangement of the course of study as will 
relate it more closely to the immediate needs of the pupils 
and the county. Home-making and agriculture will continue 
to be the chief pursuit of the people. Vocational courses 
should be offered by the larger schools, taking advantage of 
the Federal and State aid. 

6. There is serious doubt whether there can be enough 
patronage and sufficient support and adequate equipment to 
justify more than one fully "accredited" senior high school 
in the county. "Approved" high schools, however, can do 
efficient service at Girard, Sardis, Midville, and Vidette; 
while junior high schools may be maintained at Keysville 
and Alexander. The other schools cannot attempt high 
school work except at the expense of their primary and ele- 
mentary grades. 



THE TEACHING FORCE. 

Table showing the Training and Qualifications of Teachers 
in the Schools of Burke County. 



License 


Professional First 
License Grade 


Second 
Grade 


Third 
Grade 


No 
License 


Larger Schools 
One & Two-Teacher 


9 



20 
5 


2 
3 






o 

2 


Training 


High 
School 


Normal College 
Training Training 






Larger Schools 
One & Two-Teacher 


10 

8 


10 
3 


13 
2 






Experience 


One 

Year 


Two 
Years 


Three 
Years 


Four 
or More 
Years 




Larger Schools 
One & Two-Teacher 


6 

4 


5 
1 


4 
2 


18 
6 




Length of Service 
at Present School 


One 
Year 


Two 
Years 


Three 

Years 


Four 

or More 

Years 




Larger Schools 
One & Two-Teacher 


21 
10 


8 
3 


2 



2 






All of the teachers in the Waynesboro School have either 
college or normal training. 

From the table above it will be seen that the teachers in 
the larger schools are well trained. These trained teachers 
should be encouraged to stay in the system and to increase 
their professional growth by summer school work. The 
best teachers can not do their best work if they change from 
school to school each year. 

The training of the teachers in the one- and two-teacher 
schools compares unfavorably with the training of the 
teachers in the larger schools. The teacher in a one-teacher 
school has the most difficult work of any teacher in the 
educational system. As long as it is necessary to continue 
these schools they should have the best teachers and these 
teachers should be paid higher salaries than the teachers 
who have easier work. 



The training of teachers in Burke county compares very 
favorably with the training of teachers in other counties. 

RETARDATION AND ELIMINATION. 

Table showing the Age-Grade Distribution of Pupils in the 
One- and Two-Teacher Schools of Burke County. 

Age 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Total 

Grade 

I 5 41 28 9 11 4 2 3 1 1 — — — — 105 

II — 2 16 20 3 5 5 1 2 — — — — — 54 

III 269 7 6 6 3 i____ 40 

IV— — — 111 7 9 2 3 3 1 2 — — 39 

V 8 4 11 4 4 2 2 — — 35 

VI 1 5 5 9 2 3 — — 2 27 

VII — 3 4 10 6 3 — — — 26 

VII — 3 4 10 6 3 — — — 26 

VIII ___ 3 1 4 2 — — 10 

IIIX ______ i_ 1 2 

IX ______ i_ 1 2 

Totals 5 43 46 36 34 32 34 32 35 18 13 7 — 3 338 



Table Showing the Age-Grade Distribution of Pupils in the 
Three-Teacher Schools of Burke County. 



Age 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Total 

Grade 

I 8 22 10 11 3 3 — — 1 2 — — — — 60 

II_38 10 4 4 1— 2 — — — — — 32 

III 154 4 3 3 2 — — — — — 22 

IV 128 5 9 5 3 1— 1 — — 35 

V 1 5 5 4 2 1 1 — — — 19 

VI 1 3 9 3 1 2— 1 2 22 

VII 2 5 1 1 — — 9 

VIII — — 2— 3 3 2— 1 11 

IX i_i4 1 7 

X 12- 3 

Totals 8 25 20 28 20 22 21 23 15 14 7 6 7 4 220 

9 



Table Showing the Age-Grade Distribution of Pupils in the 
Larger Schools of Burke County. 

Age 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Total 
Grade 

I 1 64 25 21 7 5 3 — — — — — — — 126 

II — 8 49 17 11 3 4 — 2 — — — — — 94 

III — — 17 32 27 13 5 2 — 1 i _ _ _ 98 

IV — — ._ 10 32 19 11 9 5 1 _ ._ _ _ 87 
V — — — — 5 25 26 21 12 4 2 — — — 95 

VI — — — 12 22 18 8 9 3 2 — — 74 

VII — — — — — — 9 29 22 11 3 2 1 — 77 

VIII — — _____ 3 17 32 13 1 2— 68 

IX — — — — — — — — 2 17 13 7 9 1 49 

X— — — — — — — — 1 7 12 15 5 1 41 

XI— — — _____ 3 15 3 3 24 

Totals 1 72 91 80 82 77 80 82 69 82 50 42 20 5 833 

*Waynesboro is included with the Large Country Schools. 

The Age-Grade tables printed above were compiled from 
the teachers' monthly reports for the month of January, 
1921. A span of two years is allowed for the completion of 
each grade, and the table is therefore very liberal. Children 
are supposed to enter the first grade at the age of six. If 
their progress through the grades is normal, they will com- 
plete one grade each year. Since two years are allowed for 
the completion of each grade, children in the first grade six 
or seven years of age are considered normal ; children in the 
second grade seven or eight years of age are considered 
normal, etc. Those children in the various grades who are 
older than the normal age for their grade are over-age or 
retarded. 

Table Showing the Number and Percentages of Over Age or 
Retarded Children in the White Schools in Burke County. 





I 


II 


III 


IV 


V 


VI 


VII 




No. Pupils 


31 


16 


23 


20 


23 


16 


9 


One- and Two- 


Percentages 


29.5 


29.6 


57.5 


51.3 


65.7 


59.3 


34.8 


Teacher Schools 


No Pupils 


9 


11 


12 


19 


8 


9 


7 


Three Teacher 


Percentages 


15.0 


34.4 


54.5 


54.3 


42.1 


40.9 


77.7 


Schools 


No. Pupils 


36 


20 


22 


26 


39 


22 


17 


Larger 


Percentages 


28.5 


21.2 


22.4 


29.9 


41.1 


29.7 


22.1 


Schools 



10 



It will be seen from the tables above that there is greater 
retardation of pupils in the one- and two-teacher schools 
than in the three-teacher schools, and that there is much 
less retardation of pupils in the larger schools than in either 
the one- and two-teacher or the three-teacher schools. The 
greater retardation of pupils in the three-teacher and in the 
smaller schools is due to two causes : the unfavorable teach- 
ing conditions of these schools and the irregular attendance 
of the pupils. The teachers of the small schools are not so 
well trained as the teachers of the larger schools. They 
have to teach so many grades, and consequently hear so 
many classes each day, that it is impossible for them to 
devote more than 10 or 15 minutes to each recitation. It 
is impossible for them to do as thorough class-room work 
as the better trained teachers who have only one or two 
grades and 20 or 30 minutes for each recitation period. The 
smaller schools are usually located in the less favored sec- 
tions of the county, and because of economic conditions the 
attendance of pupils in these schools is much more irreg- 
ular. Because of the lack of thoroughness in class-room 
work and of irregular attendance, the children do not prog- 
ress through the grades at the normal rate and hence be- 
come over-age or retarded. 

The retarded pupils in the Waynesboro School are being 
instructed in special classes. A few of the retarded pupils 
in this school made scores on the tests, which seem to indi- 
cate that they are capable of doing the work with their 
regular grade. The mental ability or mental age of the 
child is the chief factor to be considered in working out the 
problem of the retarded pupil. The mental age of pupils 
can be determined most easily and most accurately by the 
use of intelligence tests. 

A study of retarded pupils in the schools of Laurens, 
Thomas, Johnson and Burke Counties has been made during 
the year 1920-1921. There is much less retardation of pupils 
in the schools of Burke County than in the schools of either 
of the other three counties studied. All of the schools in 

1.1 



Burke County have had a nine months' school term for 
the past 10 years. The school term in the other counties 
studied varies from 5^2 to 8 months. A nine months' school 
term is necessary for the normal advancement of pupils 
through the grades ! Burke County is to be especially com- 
mended for having taken this progressive step so long ago. 

In the one- and two-teacher schools of Burke County, 
only 24.7% of the children entering the first grade stay in 
school long enough to reach the seventh grade ; in the three- 
teacher schools IS'^r of the children entering the first grade 
stay in school long enough to reach the seventh grade, and 
in the larger schools 61.1% reach the seventh grade. Those 
pupils who drop out of school before they reach the seventh 
grade have not acquired the elementary principles of an 
education. Certainly they are not prepared to assume the 
responsibilities of citizenship. The teachers and school 
authorities of Burke County should endeavor to increase the 
"holding power" of the schools, realizing that as the effi- 
ciency of any school or school system is increased, in corre- 
sponding proportion the number of pupils who wish to take 
advantage of all that school or system offers will be in- 
creased. 

The number of pupils in the smaller schools of Burke 
County who stay in school long enough to reach the seventh 
grade is very low as compared with the number of pupils in 
the larger schools who reach the seventh grade. The smaller 
schools are failing to educate a large number of the children 
whom they serve and, wherever practicable and possible, 
should give place to larger schools. (See discussion of Con- 
solidation.) 

Table showing the Percentages of Children entering the 

First Grade who stay in school long enough to reach the 

Seventh Grade in the Schools of Four Georgia Counties. 

One & Two- Larger City 
Teacher Schools Schools Systems 

Burke County 24.7% 61.1% 65.9% (Waynesboro) 

Laurens County 16.7% 48.4% 72.3% (Dublin) 

Thomas County 15.6% 47.2% 

Johnson County 

12 



The "holding power" of the schools in Burke County is 
considerably higher than that of the schools in the other 
counties studied during the year 1921. (See the table 
above.) This fact is very encouraging and shows that 
Burke County already has a strong foundation on which to 
build an effective school system. 

CLASSROOM WORK. 

In order to get an accurate idea of the quality of class- 
room work being done in the schools, simple educational 
tests were given in the fundamental or most important school 
subjects — reading, language, arithmetic, spelling, and writ- 
ing. These tests have been given under the same conditions 
to thousands of pupils in representative schools in all parts 
of the United States. The median or average scores made 
by the large number of pupils in each grade to which the 
tests were given have been carefully worked out and are 
given as Standard Scores. The Standards, therefore, do not 
represent perfect scores, but scores made by average chil- 
dren in schools in which the teaching has been well done. 
The scores made on the tests by the pupils in the various 
schools of Burke County are given in the tables included 
in the discussion of each subject. If the members of the 
County Board of Education, the teachers, and the people of 
the county will study the tables carefully, they will be able 
to know to a certain extent whether or not their children 
are being as well taught as they might be taught. 

READING. 

The Monroe Silent Reading Test was given to all of the 
grades from the third through the eleventh. Test I was 
given to grades III, IV and V ; Test II was given to grades 
VI, VII and VIII ; Test III was given to grades IX, X and XL 

Each of the three tests consists of a series of simple par- 
agraphs with a question at the end, which can be easily 
answered if the paragraph is understood when read. The 
pupils are given five minutes in which to read as many of 
the paragraphs and to answer as many of the questions as 

13 



posible. The test measures the pupil's rate of reading- and 
his abihty to understand what he has read. The rate of 
reading- is indicated by the Rate Score (See table below) 
which means the number of words read per minute. The 
ability to understand what has been read is indicated by the 
Comprehension Score (See table below). Each pupil's rate 
score in reading depends upon the number of paragraphs 
read in the five minutes and his comprehension score is 
indicated by the number of questions answered correctly. 
The individual scores made by the pupils in each grade in 
the one- and two-teacher schools were combined and the 
median or average score for each grade was found. Some 
scores made by individual pupils were higher than the 
average for their grade and some were lower, but the 
median or grade scores given in the tables represent 50 
per cent of the pupils. Hence these scores represent the 
average work being done in reading in the one- and two- 
teacher schools. The teaching of reading in some of the 
schools is better than the average and in some it is poorer. 
In like manner, the scores made by the pupils in the larger 
schools were combined and the median score for each grade 
was found. The median scores of the larger schools given 
in the tables represent the average work in reading in this 
type of school in Burke County. The scores made by the 
Waynesboro School are given separately. The scores in all 
of the other subjects were worked out in the same way for 
the different types of schools in the county. 

Table Showing Median Scores in Silent Reading Made by 
Schools in Burke County. 





Ill 


IV 


V 


VI 


VII 


VIII 


IX 


X 


XI 




Rate 


60 


79 


94 


96 


104 


108 


86 


87 


94 


Standard 


Comp. 


9.3 


15.3 


20.8 


21.0 


24.5 


27.3 


24.0 


26.0 


28.6 




Rate 


44 


67 


98 


98 


108 


98 


109 


86 


86 


Waynesboro 


Comp. 


3.0 


10.0 


18.0 


18.0 


24.5 


18.0 


22.0 


24.5 


22.5 




Rate 


32 


44 


59 


59 


59 


64 


57 


73 


54 


Larger* 


Comp. 


3.4 


5.8 


9.6 


12.0 


8.6 


13.7 


14.4 


19.5 


10.0 


Schools 


Rate 


34 


37 


52 


49 


47 


59 








One- & Two- 


Comp. 


2.5 


3.7 


7.5 


9.4 


10.5 


13.5 








Teacher Schools 



*The schools having three or more teachers. 

14 



The median Rate Scores of the fifth, sixth, seventh and 
ninth grades in the Waynesboro School are above standard ; 
the Rate scores of the other grades are below standard, 
(See table above.) The seventh grade of the Waynesboro 
School is up to standard in Comprehension ; the fifth, sixth, 
ninth and tenth grades are almost up to standard ; the other 
grades are very much below standard in Comprehension. 
The low score in Comprehension made by the eighth grade 
is unusual when compared with the high scores made by 
the grammar and high school grades. It would be well for 
the superintendent to investigate the cause of this low 
score. The Comprehension score made by the third grade is 
very low. The children in this grade were very young and 
were unable to follow instructions readily. On the whole, 
the scores indicate that reading is well taught in the 
Waynesboro School. 

All of the grades in the larger schools of the county and 
in the one- and two-teacher schools are very much below 
the standard in both Rate and Comprehension. The scores 
made in reading by the larger schools are very low as com- 
pared with the standard scores and the scores made by the 
Waynesboro School. This is especially true of the seventh 
and the high school grades. 

With the exception of the seventh grade in Comprehen- 
sion, the scores made in reading by the one- and two-teacher 
schools are much lower than the scores made by the larger 
schools. In the small schools, only a few of the strongest 
pupils stay in school long enough to reach the seventh and 
eighth grades. The higher scores in reading made by the 
seventh and eighth grades of the small schools do not indi- 
cate better teaching of reading, but the superior ability of 
the few pupils in these grades who "carry on." 

The low scores in reading show that reading is very 
poorly taught in both the larger and the one- and two- 
teacher schools of Burke County. The greatest emphasis 
has been placed upon oral reading, and very little attention 
has been given to thought-getting in reading. Since the 

15 



ability to learn all other school subjects depends upon the 
ability to read understandingly, the teaching of this subject 
should receive the careful attention of the County School 
Superintendent and of the teachers of the county. (For 
suggestive Silent Reading Exercises see the Manual for 
Georgia Teachers.) 

LANGUAGE. 

The Trabue Language Scale B was used in measuring 
the work in language in the schools of Burke County. The 
test consists of twenty incomplete sentences — sentences in 
which some of the words are left out. The pupils are given 
seven minutes in which to write the missing words on the 
blank spaces. The score depends upon the number of cor- 
rect sentences the pupil has at the end of the seven minutes. 

Grade Medians Made by the Schools of Burke County as 

Compared with the Standard Medians. 

Trabue Language Scale B. 



Grades 


III 


IV 


V 


VI 


VII 


VIII 


Standard 


8.0 


10.0 


11.4 


12.4 


13.4 


14.4 


Waynesboro School 


— 


10.7 


13.0 


13.5 


— 


— 


Larger Schools 


6.4 


8..5 


10.3 


11.4 


12.2 


12.1 


One- & Two-Teacher 














Schools 


6.4 


7.5 


9.2 


10.0 


11.4 


— 



The score made by the fourth grade in the Waynesboro 
School is about a half year above standard score; the fifth 
grade score is nearly two years above the standard score, 
and the sixth grade score is a year above the standard 
score. These scores show that the language work in the 
Waynesboro School is well done. 

The scores made by all of the grades in the larger schools 
are below standard and are considerably lower than the 
scores made by the Waynesboro School. The scores made 
by the third, the fourth, and the fifth grades are nearly a 
year below the standard scores ; the scores made by the 

16 



sixth and seventh grades are a year below the standard 
scores, and the score made by the eighth grade is a Uttle 
more than two years below standard. 

The language work in the one- and two-teacher schools 
is very poor. The third grade score made by the one- and 
two-teacher schools is nearly a year below standard and is 
the same as the score made by the third grade in the larger 
schools. The fourth grade score is a little more than a year 
below standard and is about a half year below the score 
made by the fourth grade in the larger schools. The fifth 
grade score is about a year and a half below the sta^ndard, 
is below the fifth grade score made by the large schools and 
is more than three years below the score made by the fifth 
grade in the Waynesboro School. The scores made by the 
sixth and the seventh grades in the small schools are two 
years below the standard scores and are one year below 
the scores made by the sixth and seventh grades in the 
larger schools. 

These scores show that there is a great difference in the 
quality of language work being done in the various types of 
schools in Burke County. The work in the Waynesboro 
School is above standard; the work in the larger schools of 
the county is very much below standard, and the quality of 
work being done in the smaller schools is poorer than the 
quality of work done in the larger schools. The low scores 
made in language by the pupils of the larger and the smaller 
schools and the papers handed in on other tests show that 
the language work in these schools, especially in the smaller 
schools, is not developing in the children the power to speak 
and write well. The ability to use correct speech is one of 
the most important habits to be acquired from school train- 
ing, for correct speech and refined manners make it possible 
for an individual to move with ease and confidence in any 
group. If any particular school or type of school is failing 
to give its pupils that training, that school or type of school 
is failing to meet the needs of a democratic people. 

Charters' Diagnostic Verb Test was given to tlie seventh 

17 



and eighth grades of the Waynesboro School. The scores 
made are g^iven below. 



Median Scores made by the Seventh and the Eighth Grades 

of the Waynesboro School as compared with the 

Standard Scores. 

Charters' Diagnostic Verb Test. 

Grades VII VIII 

Standard 27.6 32.8 

Waynesboro School 32.6 32.2 

The seventh grade score is nearly a year above the stand- 
ard score ; the eighth grade score is a little below standard. 
The scores seem to indicate that the seventh grade has a 
better knowledge of verb forms than the eighth grade. The 
errors made show that both grades need drill on the follow- 
ing verbs and verb usages : shall and will ; lie and lay ; the 
verb do; the use of a plural verb with a compound subject, 
and the use of a singular verb with a selective pronoun — 
e. g. Neither of them is here. 

If all of the teachers in the schools of the county would 
use some Diagnostic Language and Grammar Tests, they 
could more easily discover the individual and class difficul- 
ties and would be able to more intelligently direct their 
efforts in the teaching of English so as to meet the partic- 
ular needs of the class and of the individual pupils. 

SPELLING. 

Dr. Monroe's Timed Sentence Spelling Test was given 
in the Waynesboro School and in the larger schools of the 
county. The test consists of 50 words given in sentences 
as a dictation exercise. The words are taken from Ayres' 
Spelling Scale. 

18 



Table showing the Median Per Cent of Words spelled cor- 
recting by the grades in the Waynesboro School and in the 
Larger Schools of Burke County as compared with Stand- 
ard Medians. 



Grades III IV V VI VII VIII IX X XI 



Standard 56% 78% 66% 80% 70% 84%. 86% 90% U% 

Larger Schools 40 50 26 54 46 57 66 74 79 
Waynesboro 25 81 76 80 70 73 66 87 96 



The scores made by the third, the eighth, the ninth, and 
the tenth grades in the Waynesboro School are below the 
standard scores. The scores made by the sixth and the 
seventh grades are up to standard, and the scores of the 
fourth, fifth and the eleventh grades are above the standard 
scores for those grades. The score made by the third grade 
is very low. The children in this grade seem to have had 
very little training in taking dictation exercises. 

The scores made in spelling by the grades in the larger 
schools are very much below standard, and, with the excep- 
tion of the score made by the third grade, are lower than 
the scores made by the Waynesboro School. The third 
grade in the Midville School was almost up to fourth grade 
standard. The high scores made by this grade raised the 
median score of the third grades in the larger schools. 
Many of the spelling papers handed in by the pupils of the 
larger schools, especially by the upper grades, were very 
carelessly and illegibly written. They seem to indicate that 
the standards for written composition in these schools are 
not very high and that too little emphasis is given to written 
spelling. 

ARITHMETIC. 

The Woody-McCall Arithmetic Test, Form I, was used to 
measure the work in Arithmetic. The test consists of 35 
miscellaneous examples, involving the addition, subtraction, 
multiplication, and division of simple number§, fractions, 

19 



and decimals. These examples are printed on one sheet and 
are so arranged that they increase in difficulty. A time 
limit of 20 minutes is allowed for the completion of the test. 

Table showing the Median Scores made in Arithmetic by the 

Schools of Burke County as compared with the 

Standard Scores. 



Grades 


III 


V 


IV 


VI 


VII 


VIII 


Standard 


13.0 


18.5 


24.0 


28.5 


31.0 


33.0 


Waynesboro 


9.5 


18.5 


— 


— 


27.4 


26.8 


Larger Schools 


12.5 


14.7 


17.0 


20.5 


21.9 


25.5 


One- & Two-Teacher 














Schools 


10.0 


16.5 


17.7 


20.0 


23.5 


— 



The test was not given to the fifth and the sixth grades 
in the Waynesboro School. The score made by the third 
grade in the Waynesboro School is very much below stand- 
ard and is lower than the score made by the third grade in 
either the larger schools or the schools having one and two 
teachers. The score made by the Waynesboro fourth grade 
is the same as the standard score, but the scores made by 
the seventh and eighth grades are below standard. The 
scores made by all of the grades in the larger schools are 
below standard. The scores made by the one- and two- 
teacher schools are below standard, but the fourth, fifth 
and eighth grade scores are higher than the scores made 
by these grades in the larger schools. The higher scores 
made by the one- and two-teacher schools may be due to the 
fact that more time is devoted to arithmetic in these schools 
than in the larger schools. A study of the daily schedules 
of work was not included in this survey, but it is the general 
opinion of many of our educators, who have studied the 
problem, that our small rural schools are devoting too much 
time to the teaching of arithmetic in comparison with the 
amount of time devoted to other important school subjects. 
It will be noted that the scores made by the upper grades 
in all of the schools are further below standard than the 
scores made by the lower grades. This is probably due to 
the fact that the constant change of teachers results in a 

20 



good deal of repetition in the teaching of arithmetic. Each 
teacher who leaves a school should leave a record of what 
each one of her classes has accomplished in arithmetic, and 
all of the teachers should require each grade to push steadily 
forward and master the subject matter outlined for that 
particular grade. 

WRITING. 

Samples of the pupils' writing were secured from some 
of the schools and graded by the Ayres' Handwriting Scale, 
Gettysburg Edition. Since the writing in some of the 
schools was not measured, the median scores are not given. 
The samples of writing secured show that the teaching of 
this subject should receive more careful attention from the 
teachers and superintendents of the various schools. The 
Palmer Method of Writing is being introduced into the 
Waynesboro School, but no special method of writing seems 
to be taught in the schools of the county. The pupils' atten- 
tion should be directed to the importance of neatness, height 
and formation of letters, uniformity of slant, proper spac- 
ing between every word in the same line, and to the other 
factors which are necessary to legibility in writing. (For 
suggested methods of teaching writing, see the Manual for 
Georgia Teachers, 1921.) 

CONCLUSION. 

1. The results of the tests show that the classroom work 
being done in the Waynesboro School compares very favor- 
ably with that being done in other schools of our country 
and in other city systems in Georgia. The eighth grade in 
this school seems to be weak in some of the fundamental 
subjects — reading, spelling and arithmetic. If this grade 
were given special training in these subjects at the begin- 
ning of the next school term, the pupils in the grade would 
progress through high school more satisfactorily. 

2. The classroom work of the larger schools in the 
<;ounty is not so thorough as it should be. Some of these 

21 



schools have three teachers and the others have seven. With 
a nine months' term and well-trained teachers these schools 
should limit their number of grades and do as good work 
as is done in the Waynesboro School or in any other well 
organized school system. The teachers in these schools 
are, with a few exceptions, well trained, but most of 
them are teaching in the present school for the first 
time. They are evidently not responsible for the pupils' 
lack of thoroughness in the mastery of the fundamental 
school subjects. This is especially true at the Midville 
School. The primary department in this school is very 
strong, but the upper grades show the same lack of thor- 
oughness found in the upper grades of the other large 
schools. 

Especial attention is called to the fact that the scores 
made on the tests by the seventh and the high school grades 
in the larger schools compare very unfavorably with the 
scores made by these grades in the Waynesboro School. This 
fact should be a warning to those schools which are ambi- 
tious to do senior high school work in spite of the fact that 
they have a limited teaching force and no laboratory equip- 
ment for this work. 

3. The scores made on the tests show that the class- 
room work being done in the one- and two-teacher schools 
is unsatisfactory. The children in these schools have a right 
to as good opportunities for securing an education as any 
children have. If the standards of democracy in education 
are to be maintained in the county, the unfavorable teach- 
ing conditions in the one- and two-teacher schools should be 
changed as rapidly as possible. (See Recommendations.) 

4. We believe that if the superintendents and teachers 
will use educational tests from time to time as a means of 
objective measurement and comparison, they will find them 
a great help in raising the standards of classroom work. 



22 




WAYNESBORO. 

Teachers: Prof. T. J. Lance, Superintendent, A. B. and A. M. Uni- 
versity of Georg-ia; Prof. A. A. Waters, B. S., University of 
Georgia; Miss Julia Lewis, Graduate G. N. and L C.; Prof. 
N. T. Anderson, A. B., Oglethorpe; Prof. M A Maddox, A. B., 
Oglethorpe; Miss Sarah Ledford, A. B., Bessie Tift; Miss 
Isabelle Krumine, Penn. Hall; Miss Bennie Chatfield, Grad- 
uate G. N. and L C; Miss Willie Swinney, Graduate H. S. 
Summer School Tr.; Mrs. John T. Palmer, Graduate G. N. 
and L C.; Miss Dorothy Haddock, Graduate H. S. and Sum- 
mer School Tr.; Miss Marie Bowie, Graduate G. N. and L C.; 
Miss Lillie B. Allgood, Graduate S. N. S.; Miss Pearl Folsom, 
Graduate G. N. and L C; Miss Sarah DuBose, Florida State 
College for Women. 

Grounds: Area, two acres; titles, City Council; well equipped play- 
ground. 

Building: Values, $75,000; a modern brick building. 

Note: The Waynesboro High School is on the Southern Accredited 
List. A new high school building is contemplated. The 
school is progressive, is well organized and is doing excellent 
work. See results of the tests. 



23 




GIRARD. 



Teachers: Prof. W. B. Lovett, Principal; Prof. W. H. Clark, Miss 
Lillian Lewis, Miss Mell Claxon, Miss Martha Martin, Miss 
Emma Martin, Mrs. W. M. Stokes. 

Grounds: Area, four acres; titles. County Board of Education; 
some playground equipment; baseball diamond; insanitary 
surface toilets. 

> 

Building: Values, $30,000; seven classrooms and a large auditorium; 
a brick building plastered inside; sufficient light in all rooms 
from left and back; cloakrooms for all classrooms. 

Equipment: Seated with single patent desks; teachers desks in all 
rooms; maps; a school library; no laboratory equipment; 
water supplied from bubbling founts. 

Organization: Seven teachers and a music teacher; eleven grades; 
a Civic Improvement Club working for school improvement; 
no vocational work. 

Maintenance: $6,885.00. 



24 




MIDVILLE, 

Teachers: Prof. W. A. Ingram, Principal; Mrs. W. A. Ingram, Miss 
Addie Mae Walker, Miss Sarah A. Harper, Miss Mary Murphy, 
Miss Mary Holland, Miss Amanda Cobb, Miss Josie Webb. 

Grounds: Area, one acre; titles. City of Midville; some playground 
equipment, money being raised for more; school garden plan- 
ned for spring term. 

Buildings: Value, ; not large enough for the size of school; 

a cottage used at present for primary department; running 
water and inside toilets. 

Equipment: Single patent desks; teachers' desks; fairly good black- 
boards; school library, but not enough space for it; reading 
table in hall; a num^ber of current magazines. 

Organization: Eight teachers and a music teacher; eleven grades; 
pupils of upper grades organized into two literary societies. 

Maintenance: $8,100.00. 



25 



' 


HH^H 


^^£ 




""^ ""*~""^ ^^^^^^^eKK^^B^^^BM 





SARDIS. 

Teachers: Prof. W. C. Paschall, Principal; Miss Mildred Kent, Mrs. 
J. J. Bargeron, Miss Pansy Johnston, Miss Mary B. Ware, 
Miss Velva Williams, Miss Maggie Williamson. 

Grounds: Area, 21% acres; titles, Trustees of Sardis High School; 
a well equipped playground, including a basket ball court, 
volley ball court, football, giant stride and shot put; a flower 
garden; sanitary toilets. 

Building: Value, $25,000; adequate number of classroms and an 
auditorium; lighted from left and back; brick building, plas- 
tered inside; plastering was in bad condition, but was being 
repaired; floors oiled. 

Equipment: Seated with single patent desks; teachers' desks; maps 
and globes; a school library and some equipment for the 
teaching of Home Economics; two school pianos; no labora- 
tory equipment for physics, agriculture or chemistry. 

Organization: Seven teachers and a music teacher; ten grades. 

Maintenance : 



2() 




CLEVELAND. 

Teachers: Mr. Kneed Smith, Mrs. Aubrey Smith, Miss Euby Reeves. 

Grounds: Area, two acres; titles, County Board of Education; no 
playground equipment; no school garden; unimproved but 
fairly well kept; two surface toilets in very bad condition. 

Building: Value, $1,000.00; three rooms; two rooms painted inside 
and two rooms painted outside; floors not oiled; improperly 
lighted and heated by small heaters. 

Equipment: Double and single desks; three teachers desks; three 
globes; four maps; 35 feet of blackboard. 

Maintenance: $2,250.00. 



27 




GOUGH. 

Teachers: Miss Thelma Chew, Miss Euby Banks. 

Grounds: Area, ; titles, County Board of Education; no play- 
ground equipment; unimproved. 

Building: Value, $2,000.00; two rooms and an auditorium; painted 
outside; finished with beaver board inside; lighted from two 
sides of rooms. 

Equipment: Single and double patent desks; two teachers' desks; 
maps; globes; a very good library. 

Organization: Two teachers (sometimes three); 8 grades; about 75 
pupils in district; only 8 present the day school was visited. 

Maintenance: $2,250.00. 



28 




KEYSVILLE. 

Teachers: Mr. J. I. Harrison, Miss Cordelia Henderson, Miss Olive 
Daniel. 

Grounds: Level and spacious; some improvements; no playground 
equipment except a basket ball court. 

Building: Value, $3,500.00; three rooms and an auditorium; painted 
outside; ceiled inside; improperly lighted. 

Equipment: Single patent desks; good blackboards; some maps; 
three teachers' desks. 

Organization: Three teachers; 8 grades; no schedules posted; no 
industrial work. 

Maintenance: $2,745.00. 



29 




ST. CLAIR. 

Teachers: Mrs. R. E. Broadwater, Miss Mary Lou Barfield, Miss 
Mamie Tinley. 

Grounds: Area, five acres; titles. County Board of Education; no 
playground equipment; no school garden; unimproved; two 
surface toilets in very bad condition. 

Building: Value, $2,500.00; four rooms and an auditorium; painted; 
improperly lighted. 

Equipment: Double and single patent desks; three teachers' desks; 
four maps; no globes; a reference dictionary and a small 
library; a few framed pictures. 

Organization: Three teachers; ten grades; no programs posted; no 
industrial work. 

Maintenance: $2,205.00. 



30 




CARSWELL. 

Teachers: Miss Hattie Morris, Mrs. D. T. Winter. 

Grounds: Area, one acre; titles, Board of Education; no play- 
ground equipment; no school garden; unimproved. 

Building: Value, $1,200.00; two rooms; painted inside and outside; in- 
sufficiently and improperly lighted; floors not oiled. 

Equipment: Double and single patent desks; two teachers' desks; 
maps ;a globe; one chart; fairly good blackboards. 

Maintenance: $1,235.00. 



31 




GRESHAM SCHOOL. 

Teacher: Miss Bessie L. Chandler. 

Grounds: Area, ; titles, Board of Education; no playground 

equipment; no school garden; unimproved, but well kept. 

Building: Value, $500.00; one room; painted inside and out; four 
windows on each side; two cloakrooms. 

Equipment: Double patent desks; a teacher's desk; one globe; two 
maps; fairly good boards. 

Maintenance: $675.00. 



H2 




KNIGHT SCHOOL. 

Teacher: Miss Agnes Jenkins. 

Grounds: Area, ; titles, ; no playground equipment; no 

school garden; level; unimproved. 

Building: Value, $2,000.00; one room (very large and built so that 
it can be separated); lighted from the left; cloakrooms; 
painted; floor not oiled. 

Equipment: Double and single patent desks; a teacher's desk; good 
blackboards; maps and several framed pictures. 

Organization: One teacher; seven grades (no fifth and no sixth 
grades at present); 22 pupils on roll; 15 pupils present. 

Maintenance: $675.00. 



33 




LAWSON CROSSING SCHOOL. 

Teacher: Mrs. Mamie B. Stephens. 

Grounds: Very small and unimproved; no playground equipment; no 
school garden. 

Building: One room of a dwelling house is used for the schoolroom. 
It is very small, very crowded, poorly lighted and altogether 
unsuitable and inappropriate for school purposes. 

Equipment: Double home-made desks; a very small blackboard; no 
maps; no globes; no charts; no school library. 

Organization: One teacher; six grades; 15 pupils on roll; 8 pupils 
present; no program posted; no industrial work. 

Maintenance: $540.00. 



34 




McBEAN SCHOOL. 

Teacher: Miss Lucile Bargeron. 

Grounds: Area, ; titles, ; level; a few shade trees; no 

school garden; unimproved; no playground equipment. 

Building: Value, $300.00; one room; whitewashed inside and out; six 
very small windows placed on three sides of the room; floor 
not oiled; no cloakrooms; clean and well kept. 

Equipment: Double patent desks; a teacher's desk; one globe; two 
maps; two framed pictures; no library. 

Organization: One teacher; six grades; 10 pupils on roll; 8 pupils 
present; program posted. 

Maintenance: $585.00. 



35 




OAK GROVE SCHOOL. 



Teacher: Mrs. Loraine B. Lester. 

Grounds: Area, one acre; titles in Board of Education; no play- 
ground equipment; no school garden; level; shade trees; un- 
improved. 

Building: Value, $750.00; one room; painted outside, but not inside; 
no cloakrooms; ten windows, four on each side and two ir 
front; floor not oiled. 

Equipment: Single patent desks; no teachers desk; no maps; no 
globes; no charts; two very small blackboards; no library; no 
reference dictionary. 

Maintenance: $585.00. 



36 




ROZIER SCHOOL. 

Teacher: Miss Willie Jay. 

Grounds: Area, one acre; titles, ; level; a few flowers and shade 

trees; otherwise unimproved; no playground equipment; no 
school garden; two surface toilets in bad condition. 

Building: One room; value, $500.00; improperly and insufficiently 
lighted; one small cloak room on the front; has been painted 
on outside, but needs repainting; floor has not been oiled. 

Equipment: Single patent decks; one blackboard; no maps; no globes; 
no library; one small water cooler. 

Maintenance: $720.00. 



37 




SHELL BLUFF. 

Teacher: Miss Dorothy Mathis. 

Grounds: Area, ; titles, ; enclosed by wire fence: a few 

shade trees; level; no playground equipment; school garden 
in which the pupils grow both vegetables and flowers; two 
surface toilets. 



Building: Value, $1,500.00; one room; painted inside and out; four 
windows on each side of room; stove in center of room; floor 
not oiled; two cloakrooms. 

Equipment: Double patent desks; a teacher's desk; fairly good 
blackboards; three maps; one globe; a reference dictionary. 

Organization: One teacher; six grades; 16 pupils on roll; 14 pupils 
present; no program posted. 

Maintenance: $630.00. 



38 



TELFAIR S(;H()0L. 

Teacher: Miss Lillian Key. 

Grounds: Area, ; title, Telfair Baptist Church; no playground 

equipment; no school garden. 



Building: Value, $500.00; one room; painted inside and out; floor not 
oiled. 



Equipment: Single patent desks; teacher's desk; sixteen feet of 
blackboard; one map. 

Maintenance: $720.00. 



39 




MOBLEYS. 

Teacher: Miss Minnie Odom. 

Grounds: Area, ; title, Mr. W. 0. Mobley; no playground 

equipment; no school garden; no toilets; unimproved and 
fairly well kept. 

Building: Value, ; one room; unpainted; insufficiently lighted; 

no cloakrooms; floors not oiled. 

Equipment: Double patent desks; one blackboard; no maps; no 
charts; no globes; no school library. 

Miiintenance: 



40 



ROCKVILLE. 

Teachers: Miss Lucile Dye, Miss Mary Oliver. 

Grounds: Area, two acres; titles, Board of Education; no playground 
equipment; no school garden, but flowers are planted on 
grounds. 

Building: Value, $800.00; two rooms; painted outside; not painted 
inside; improperly lighted; floors not oiled. 

Equipment: Double patent desks; two teachers' desks; four map ; 
one globe; a reference dictionary. 

Maintenance: $1,235.00. 



41 




MUNNERLYN SCHOOL. 



Teacher: Mrs. M. L. Harris. 



Grounds: Area very small; unimproved; small playgrounds; surface 
toilets. 



Building: Value, $450.00; one classroom; cloakrooms; painted; in 
good repair and well kept. 

Equipment: Single patent desks and teacher's desk; good black- 
boards; charts, globes, etc. 

Enrollment: Thirteen; attendance, seven. 



42 




ALEXANDER SCHOOL. 



Teachers: Mr. Williams and Mrs. Reeves. 

Grounds: Large area; partly improved; fairly well kept; ample play- 
grounds; surface toilets. 

Buildings: Value, $4,000.00; three classrooms (using only one at 
present); no cloakrooms; well lighted; well kept; painted; in 
good repair. 

Equipment: Single patent desks and teachers' desks; good black- 
boards; maps; charts, etc. 



43 




FLORENCE SCHOOL. 



Teachers: Miss Sturtevant and Miss Brinson. 



Grounds: Area small; unimproved; small playgrounds provided; sur- 
face toilets. 



Building: Value, $800.00; two classrooms; no cloakrooms; painted; in 
fair repair. 

Equipment: Single patent desks and teachers' desks; good black- 
boards; globe; chart; library. 



44 




CULLEN SCHOOL. 



Teacher: Miss 



Grounds: Area, two acres; unimproved; ample playgrounds; surface 
toilets. 



Building: Value, $500.00; one classroom; cloakrooms; painted; in good 
repair. 

Equipment: Patent double desks and teacher's desk; poor black- 
boards; maps; globe; small library in case. 

Enrollment: Twenty-six; present, nine pupils. 



4^ 




PRIMARY DEPARTMENT MIDVILLE SCHOOL. 



46 




OLD BUILDING VIDI<;TTE SCHOOL. 



47 




DRUJNE SCHOOL. 




WAYNESBORO NEGRO SCHOOL. 



48 



